


Off-Kilter

by Musical_Fandom



Series: Bad End Oneshots [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad Ending, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, M/M, Memory Alteration, Mild Blood, Past Character Death, Psychological Horror, Royal's Bad End
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28189113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Fandom/pseuds/Musical_Fandom
Summary: Everything was just so perfect lately. He was surrounded by friends, he was getting more recognition for his detective work, and best of all, Akira, perfect Akira, had agreed to go out with him. Goro couldn't imagine how things could get any better.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: Bad End Oneshots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168133
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Off-Kilter

Goro smiled as he watched his boyfriend brew coffee for everyone. Everything was just so perfect lately. He was surrounded by friends, he was getting more recognition for his detective work, and best of all, Akira, perfect Akira, had agreed to go out with him. Goro couldn't imagine how things could get any better. 

It was almost hard to remember how his life had before. Long lonely days were now filled with the company of his closest friends ever since that day at the TV station.

**_Goro walked through the empty hall by himself. His day was almost over, he just needed to meet the man who would be interviewing him tomorrow then he could finally go home. When he got his internship position, he never would have imagined how much it would put him in the public eye. At least it allowed him to do actual detective work instead of just fetching coffee for the adults around him._ **

**_A noise from around the corner brought him back to reality. As he got closer he realized that the noise was actually a voice. Several voices in fact. They sounded much younger than the people who worked at the station. He figured they must have been left over students from the Shujin field trip he'd been told about. When he saw them, his suspicions were confirmed. There stood three teens in school uniforms, two boys and a girl. All of them looked interesting, it wasn't every day he saw blondes, but the one who stood in the middle really caught his eye._ **

**_The boy's relaxed posture was horrible yet gave Goro the impression of confidence. His black hair looked good despite how messy it was, it was almost like it was styled yet it looked so natural. The dark grey eyes beneath his unassuming glasses gave him an air of mystery and seemed to hold a strange intelligence. His slight smirk made Goro's heart beat far too fast. Goro had never believed in love at first sight until that very moment._ **

He smiled at the memory. It was always a pleasant one to go back to. That was a day that had changed everything for him. The day he met the love of his life and some of the people who he would be closer with than anyone else. Since that day, everything felt so right.

* * *

Goro loved his job. He loved the thrill of solving the mystery, the sense of satisfaction after bringing a criminal to justice, the fact that it had led him to meet so many people that had changed his life. Detective work was his calling. No job could make him happier. It was after he had poured all these feelings when Akira asked an interesting question.

"How's your case going?"

Goro knew he was working on a case, he was always working on a case. He had told Akira about working on a case but when he tried to recall the details, there was nothing. Thinking about it, when was the last time he went to work? He remembered going to school, then heading straight to LeBlanc. On his days off from school he just went to LeBlanc for the whole day. He had to be going to work though, he was working on a case. He had to be. How else would he be getting recognized at work? Why couldn't he remember? His chest felt tight just thinking about it. He should remember something so simple so why was there nothing? Everything suddenly felt so suffocating. All he could do was panic. Something was wrong. Everything was-

"Goro?" Akira's voice brought him back. Concern marred his perfect features. "Are you okay?"

Akira's voice soothed Goro's nerves. His mind supplied the details of his most recent case, **an armed robbery where no one got hurt.** They were close to catching the person who did it. Goro felt silly for panicking when nothing was wrong. "I'm fine." He said with a smile. He really meant it but Akira didn't look convinced.

* * *

"It's warm for February." Goro observed. Winter had been almost alarmingly mild. It was pleasant of course but still odd. Akira just hummed in response. "Maybe we should walk like this more often. I could use some fresh air every once in a while."

"I thought you liked LeBlanc." He said in mock offense. Akira put on an over exaggerated show of displeasure. Goro laughed at the sight which got Akira laughing with him.

"I love LeBlanc." Goro said once they calmed down. He took Akira's hand and smiled. "I'm happy Sae told me about it."

**_Goro sat at the counter of LeBlanc drinking his coffee. Sae hadn't been exaggerating about the calming atmosphere. It was a shame that such a nice cafe was so unknown._**

**_The sound of the bell above the door caught his attention. He looked and found none other than Akira Kurusu. Suddenly LeBlanc had gotten so much better._ **

"Sae?" Akira asked. An amused but confused look settled on his face. "I invited you after we met."

**_Goro sat at the counter of LeBlanc drinking his coffee. Behind the counter stood Akira who was eagerly waiting for his reaction._ **

**_"How is it?" He asked._ **

**_Goro smiled sweetly at him. Akira got excited. "It tastes bland. I could have made better instant coffee than this." The instant disappointment made Goro laugh. "It looks like you should keep trying."_ **

**_He hadn't expected much when the beginner barista invited him over to test his coffee and he was right for keeping his expectations low. Still, the terrible coffee was worth it if he could spend more time with Akira._ **

Goro blinked as he tried to reconcile the memories. Both were his first time at LeBlanc but, how? He looked at Akira and gave a strained smile. "You're right. I'm not sure why I thought Sae recommended it." What the hell was wrong with him? He knew for a fact that Sae had been the one to recommend it, yet now he was remembering something different. He could feel a headache coming on. Something was wrong. Just like the case. Was that wrong too? It hurt to think about. Everything suddenly seemed so uncertain. Could he trust his own memories? Why wouldn't he? What was Akira doing to him? It was only when he talked to Akira that things got like this. Should he stop-

"Hey." Akira's calming voice cut through the chaos and silenced all the doubts. His headache slowly went away as Akira started talking. "Are you feeling alright?"

Goro looked at him and nodded. Of course he was fine. Akira was there, what could be wrong? **He just needed to stay with Akira and everything would be fine.** "I was mistaken." He said. "Sae told me about LeBlanc after you did." Of course she did. Akira had to be right, he often was.

Akira slowly nodded but looked skeptical. "Do you want to head back?"

"I would love to."

* * *

Goro stared at Akira as he worked. He was so good with Coffee now, it was almost hard to believe he had started out with such abysmal skill.

As Akira approached with two cups of coffee Goro couldn't help but notice how fluid his motions were. He was always so graceful but today it seemed to stand out even more. Maybe it was from his time with Kasumi. They had been fairly close in January.

_Akira's phone rang, the sound even more pronounced in the empty laundry mat he and Akechi found themselves in._

_"Go ahead." He said. Their conversation could wait if the call was important._

_Akira answered and though it was quiet, Akechi could recognize Yoshizowa's voice. He couldn't hear the full conversation but he did hear mention of a palace in Odaiba._

_"I'll be on my way soon." Akira said before hanging up._

_"That was Yoshizowa-san's voice, wasn't it?" He didn't need to ask since he already knew the answer. "I believe I heard her mention the word-"_

Palace? What was that? Everything about the memory was so off, the harshness of his voice, the serious atmosphere, Akira's body language. It was all wrong... but it felt more right than any other memory he could recall. Unease and dread filled him. Even as he looked at Akira, everything was all wrong. Goro stood suddenly. He needed to get out of there. "I'll be right back." He said before he rushed to the bathroom.

He felt nauseous. Everything was wrong, why hadn't he seen it before? But what was wrong about it? The answer seemed so close yet it was out of his reach. Goro turned on the sink and splashed some water in his face. He needed to calm down. Panic wouldn't help him find answers for the questions that raced through his mind. He needed to think before Akira came and-

Akira. It always happened when Akira was around. The case, his first time at LeBlanc, and now whatever the hell he just thought of. What was Akira doing to him? Why did reality seem to unravel itself whenever he was around. But then, Akira was always there to fix it too. It was always Akira that caused him to forget his worries and bring him back to reality. Was that really a good thing though?

A knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts. No doubt Akira had become worried about his absence. He needed more time to think before Akira ripped it all away from him. He wasn't ready to go back yet, he still needed answers.

"Are you okay? You've been in there awhile."

How long had it been? It didn't feel like it had been more than a couple seconds since he entered. He checked the time on his phone and found that Akira was right, nearly ten minutes had somehow already passed. How the hell had he not noticed? Had he been that deep in thought?

"Goro?"

Goro snapped to attention at the sound of his name. It sounded so nice coming from Akira. It made it hard to remember what he had been worried about. **Why would he need to worry when Akira was around anyways?**

* * *

Goro checked his phone on the train home. There was a single text from Akira asking him to come to LeBlanc. Something told him he should. He loved seeing Akira and it had been a long day. But he was so tired. Everything had been exhausting for the past few days ever since, well he wasn't quite sure but it left Goro just wanting to curl up in his bed and hide away. He ignored Akira's text and went home.

Everything in his apartment seemed strange. He hadn't moved anything but it all seemed out of place. Pictures filled walls that looked like they should have been barren. One picture in particular caught Goro's eye. He stood with Makoto and Haru, all of them were smiling about something but it felt wrong somehow.

~~_"I have no intention of forgiving him for what he did to my father-"_ ~~

Goro turned away from the photo as he felt a headache coming on. He went to find something but found his cabinets empty. Did he really spend so much time with Akira that his own home was neglected? **Maybe he shouldn't have gone home after all.** After finding his disapointing lack of painkillers he decided that sleep would probably be best. Maybe getting some rest would stop him from feeling so off. He was already tired anyways.

_The smell of blood and rust surrounded Akechi as he fought to stand. On the other side of the wall he could hear the Phantom Thieves screaming his name. In front of him stood a copy of himself. It looked at him with cold dead eyes as it pointed the gun at him. His last enemy was himself. Of course the world had to give him an ironic end. Killing himself in Shido's palace, how annoying._

_The blood that rapidly left his body was starting to feel too cold. Everything was fading fast. He didn't have much time left but he had played his part. If only he hadn't shattered as soon as he cut the strings. Two bullets were let loose at the same time. Akechi felt no fear as he **stood before Akira. They had been getting close over the past few months, it was only natural to take it to the next level. Goro smiled nervously as he ran over the words in his head.** _

**_I love you._ **

_**He had felt this way since the day they met and now he wanted to see if Akira did as well. Everyone had assured him the answer was obvious but it was difficult not to feel nervous.** He would die for Akira. **He loved him so much.** But he wasn't dead. Not like he should have been. Instead he was alive and well in a world that didn't remember his crimes. No, more than that, where his crimes never existed in the first place. It was snowing on Christmas Eve when he **kissed Akira for the first time. Cheers erupted from around. It felt like a dream come true. Goro felt so happy in that moment.** It wasn't real. **He would cherish the memory forever.** The world wasn't real. **Just like he would cherish Akira.** _

It was nearly pitch black when Goro shot awake. His heart was pounding but he didn't know why. Maybe he'd had a nightmare but he couldn't remember. Everything seemed so hazy and hard to pin down in the darkness; it seemed his thoughts were no exception.

* * *

Goro sat in LeBlanc at the counter as Akira prepared coffee.

"Are you nervous?" He asked suddenly.

Goro looked up and saw Akira's gentle smile as he waited for an answer. He would be graduating soon and moving on to university. Soon he would be a real detective, not just an intern. The position would really only change his title, he was already a detective after all but that didn't negate the anticipation.

"I'm excited." He replied. "My schedule will be a bit busy but the school I'm planning on attending is close so we'll still be able to meet often."

Akira reached over the counter to grab Goro's hand. The shadow of his sleeve looked almost like a bruise under the light. He looked up at Akira and saw a flash of red.

_November 20th, Akechi had planned this long in advance. Soon the thorn in his side would be gone for good. There would be no one to stop him from taking vengeance on Shido how he saw fit._

_Shooting the guard was nothing. It hardly even felt like his first real murder, no, that would be reserved for Akira. The guard's death hardly counted._

_Akira looked shocked. The harsh lighting emphasized every bruise on his unusually pale face. Akechi savored the moment as he put the gun to his head._

_"This is where your justice ends."_

_Pulling the trigger was easy. In an instant his rival was there, dead by his hands. The only person who could stand in his or Shido's way._

_A curtain of red poured from the bullet wound. It covered his face like the mask he wore in the Metaverse. Gravity caught up with him as the corpse fell. Warm blood splattered on the table, just missing Akechi. The last thing he needed was Akira's blood on him._

The air around felt suffocating. Why had that felt so real? Goro was struggling to breathe as he looked at Akira who did not in fact have a hole in his head. He was fine. Goro was not. No matter how much air he took in he felt like he was suffocating. His eyes blurred with tears and his heart was pounding. How had he even come up with something like that? _He killed Akira._ He needed to breathe but it felt almost impossible. Everything felt so wrong. Even the air felt wrong. The answers were so close but he couldn't get a grip on them. He needed to know what was going on. He needed to understand what was wrong with the world. He needed-

A strong grip brought him out of his thoughts. It was then that he realized Akira was talking to him. Akira, who was at the center of all this somehow. Akira, who always pulled him right back to this reality. **Akira, who wanted what was best for him.**

Goro pushed Akira away. He couldn't be distracted again. It didn't matter how hard it was to breathe or how comforting the boy's presence was. He was too close to knowing. Thr answers he needed were almost in his grasp.

A sharp pain hit Goro's head. A rush of _fake_ memories flooded through his mind as if to tell him to stop. He just needed to push past it. Whatever was going on, he just needed to find the truth. It was right there. He just needed to grab it. Just one more push-

_"We're taking the deal."_

_"You can't be serious!"_

The pain was gone as the memories, the real memories, returned. It all made sense now. The conflicting memories, the intense wrongness of it all, Kurusu. Of course everything would be off, none of it was real. He felt disgusted with himself for believing such a lie for so long.

Akechi looked up and glared at the traitor who sold out reality. All for what? For some fake happiness? He could almost laugh, this was the coward he had died for. The one who was supposed to be better than him but here he was, throwing away everything for some lovesick idiot that was nothing like the person he wanted to "save" in the first place. For the first time in a while, he wished that he could have just ended it all in the interrogation room.

"Goro-" Kurusu reached a hand out only for it to be smacked away.

"Don't." He snapped. He wouldn't be dragged back by him, not this time. "You don't get to call me that." 

Akechi saw hurt and confusion on Kurusu's face. A realization hit. Of course he had succumbed to Maruki's bullshit reality. It was ridiculous to expect anything else from the person who so desperately wanted it in the first place. There was no point in even talking to him. The person who betrayed him died along with the true reality, maybe even before that. Akechi stormed out of LeBlanc in disgust, he never wanted to see the place or the traitor that lived there again.

* * *

Akechi found himself at a loss for ideas. Without a persona, there wasn't much he could do to combat Maruki's reality. He cursed himself for not fighting harder when he had the chance. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past though. He needed to do something. There was no way he could stand living another second as Maruki's little puppet. The thought of him living in ignorance as he clung to Kurusu like a love struck puppy was enough to make him sick.

If he still had access to Loki, they could burn this world to the ground. He relished the idea, as useless as it was. Thanks to Kurusu and Maruki, he was powerless.

* * *

"I see you're back to your old ways." A familiar voice said. Akechi couldn't say he was surprised. It made sense that Maruki would seek him out when he broke free. The only unexpected part was that he had taken a few days, much longer than Akechi would have expected considering how hell bent he was about making everyone happy. "I had hoped you would change your mind on your own."

"Then you know even less about me than Kurusu." Akechi turned to him. The pity he saw in his eyes pissed him off.

"Is it really so wrong to be happy?" He asked as if that was the only issue. **Being happy was fine** but Akechi refused to live the rest of his life under someone else's control. Not Shido's, not **Akira's** , and certainly not Maruki's.

Akechi glared at him. "I won't accept this fake reality you've built."

"I'm sorry to hear that Akechi-kun." Maruki gave him a sad smile. The bastard. "But if you won't do it for yourself, won't you think of Akira?"

The traitor. **The love of his life.** A sharp pain went through his head. He hated **Akira** , he would never give up his freedom for him. Not after such a betrayal.

_"We're taking the deal."_

_"You can't be serious!_

_**Akira** looked away. **He couldn't bring himself to be angry with Akira.** Did he really think this was what was best for everyone? **Could he blame him?** _

_"Fine. I have your answer then. The deal's off." Akechi turned to leave. **Maybe this was what was best.** _

Akechi held his head. That was all wrong, he knew Maruki was fucking with his head. Of course he had been angry. How could he not have been? It didn't matter if **Akira** thought he was doing what was right, it was still a betrayal of his wishes. 

"I'm sorry about all this." Maruki said. The pain only got worse. "I don't want to force you to do anything but, I can't have you ruining the happiness of others."

_"We're taking the deal."_

_**"I think that's the right choice here."** _

_**Akira smiled at Goro. "I knew you'd understand."** _

That couldn't be right, **could it?** "Don't worry, I've learned from my mistakes. I'll do it right this time." He gave a small smile which could have been comforting under different circumstances. Here, it was almost chilling. The pain was getting unbearable until something seemed to **shift.** The world seemed to realign itself as Goro looked around. What had he been doing just now? He looked at his phone and saw a message from Akira. He smiled as he typed a reply and headed out to LeBlanc.

* * *

Goro sat in LeBlanc feeling like the luckiest person in the world. He was surrounded by his closest friends and loving boyfriend at his favorite cafe. Everything he could ever want was in front of him. As Akira grabbed Goro's hand, he wondered if things could possibly get any better.


End file.
